Here’s an idyllic(田園風光的) scene: a small village where the sun always shines, crops always grow and your friends drop by to sweep your yard to the sound of guitar music. Animals do what they are told, there is no disease, and lending folks a helping hand makes you richer and wiser. Welcome to FarmVille — current population 69m and rising fast.
“It reminds me of my childhood,” says one player, Lia Curran, 37, a chemist from London. “Right now I’m growing wheat and poinsettia, I’ve got a small orchard, and I’m keeping some chickens and some cows. I like having the animals. It’s comfortable.”
Curran’s young animals, however, are nothing more than a collection of computer-controlled cartoons. FarmVille is an online computer game built into the social networking site Facebook and is described by its players as “addictive”. Launched last June by Zynga Game Network, FarmVille now has more players than Twiter’s entire user base — or more than the population of the UK. The players are largely women over the age of 35.
Jenny Glyn, 33, a London housewife, started playing in September. “I had a look at a friend’s farm and was hooked,” she says. “My first motivation was to overtake her, but I did that pretty quickly. Now there’s something satisfying about growing crops.”
FarmVille intellectually unites the worlds of social networking and gaming. Players are given a patch of ground with six fields, “cash”, a few seeds and a plough and have to build up wealth, skills and neighbors to create bigger, better, richer farms.
Inviting your online friends to play means you earn more and get free gifts; you rise rapidly through the first levels but, once hooked, have to work harder and harder with no final level or goal in sight.
“It’s very moreish,” says Curran. She hasn’t yet paid real-world money to advance in the game, but her friends do. One buys extra virtual currency at the exchange rate of $240 (£145) in FarmVille for $40 (£24) in the real world.
“I’d expanded on FarmVille as much as I could, but I just wanted a pond and some bushes and trees around it,” says the woman, who is too embarrassed to be named. “I didn’t tell my husband I’d paid real money because he’d think I’m mad. But then he did keep me waiting in the car outside our house while he harvested his raspberries.”
Brian Dudley, chief executive at Broadway Lodge, an addiction treatment centre, warns that this sort of obsessive(令人著魔的) play can lead to an addiction as severe as gambling.
59. What does Curran do in the passage?
A. She is a player.                                                      B. She is a farmer who grows wheat and poinsettia.
C. She is a chemist.                                                  D. She is a housewife who raises chickens and cows.
60. By FarmVille, the writer means ______.
A. an addictive farm on which live 69 million farmers
B. a London housewife’s farm
C. an online computer game built into the social networking site
D. a farm on which people grow real crops and play as well
61. In the last but one paragraph, the husband kept the woman waiting outside ______.
A. because he was angry at his wife’s being mad about the farm
B. because he himself was busy with his farm
C. in order to punish his wife for her having paid real money
D. so that his wife would wake up from her addiction to the farm
62. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The population of the UK is less than 69 million.
B. This sort of obsessive play can cause very severe addiction.
C. Once hooked, one has to make greater efforts to reach a higher level.
D. Up till now, nobody has yet paid real-world money to advance in the play.

The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all aroud you and that it proves down upon you．Air pressure is a wonderful force．When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body．The air all around you does the same．However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this ．The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere．This layer surrounds the Earth , extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface．
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home．But make sure that you are supervised , because you will need to use matches．Now for the experiment！
What you need
·A hard-boiled egg without the shell
·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
·A piece of paper
·A match
Metheod
1) Check that the egg will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle．
2) Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle．
3) Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle．
4) Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle．
Result
Astonishingly,the egg will be sucked into the bottle．Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment．But be careful when you handle matches．
Why it happened
As the paper burns,it needs oxyen and uses up the oxygen(air) in the bottle．The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle,so no more air can get inside ．This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle．The air pressure must equalize,so more air from outside must enter the bottle．The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle!The proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it．
53．When you do the experiment, why need you a person beside you?
A．You couldn’t place the egg on the bottle by yourself．
B．The egg needs to be shelled．
C．You need to use matches．
D．The bottle can’t sit firmly on the desk．
54．The purpose of doing this experiment is to prove ______．
A．a(chǎn)ir pressure is a wonderful force
B．water can push down your body when you swim underwater
C．the air pressure is not equalized around us
D．the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere
55．How did the egg put into the bottle？
A．The oxygen inside the bottle suckde the egg in．
B．It became solt without the shell．
C．The neck of the bottle was wide enough．
D．The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle．
56．The passage is ______．
A．a(chǎn)n experiment report            B．a(chǎn) scientific story
C．a(chǎn) research report                 D．a(chǎn)n interesting novel

“In our time,” Marx once wrote, “change is upon the world and cannot be stopped as we wish. The thing now is to understand it.” Marx devoted his life to understanding that change.
Born in Trier in 1818, he came from a rich, middle—class family. Many of his relatives believed in Judaism,but his father had changed to believe in Protestantism(新教) in order to become a lawyer. After studying at the universities of Bonn and Berlin, Marx became interested in politics in his early twenties and in 1848 wrote The Communist Manifesto, together with his life-long friend Friedrich Engels.
Revolution broke out throughout Europe in 1848 and Marx was forced to leave Germany when it failed in 1849. He moved to London, where he spent the rest of his life, working in the British Museum.
His stay in the house in Dean Street in Soho was a time of great hardship for Marx and his family. He was surviving almost on the money provided by Engels and on the very little money he earned as the foreign reporter for a newspaper in New York.
Three of his six children died during the time in Soho and, Marx even had to borrow money in order to bury one of them. Only when Marx’s wife Jenny got 120 pounds after her mother died was the family able to move out of Soho and into a slightly better house in Kentish Town.
Marx died on March 14th ,1883, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery in north London.
60．Why did Karl Marx’s father change his belief from Judaism to Protestantism?
A．For his son’s education.                     B．For his career development.
C．Not to be looked down on.                    D．To move to another country.
61．Why did Karl Max leave Germany?
A．He was offered a job by the British Museum.    B．He couldn’t find work in Germany.
C．The political situation was very dangerous for him.   D．He wanted to write a book.
62．Which of the following statements is true?
A．Karl Marx lived a happy life in Soho, London
B．Karl Marx suffered the death of more than half his children
C．Karl Marx was born in a poor family
D．Karl Marx lived a better life after his mother-in-law died
63．Which is the right order of the following facts?
a. Marx’s family moved to Kentish Town.
b. Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto with Engels.
c. He began to work as the foreign reporter for a newspaper.
d. Marx had to leave Germany because of the failure of the revolution.
A. b d a c                            B. b d c a              C. c a b d            D. c b d a

Happiness and sadness are states of being states of being that define the way we view the world. It is often said that some people by nature have a sunny character. Now scientists may have discovered why.
Some people may be hard-wired for happiness, while others are genetically negative, as
scientists have suggested in a study published in late February, in a British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Earlier research had already established that the gene known as 5-HTTLPR plays a key role in
determining how the neurotransmitter (神經(jīng)傳遞素) serotonin (血清素) works within the brain. Serotonin, a hormone (荷爾蒙), passes chemical messages between nerve cells. It has been closely linked to mood. Several anti-depressant (抗抑郁) drugs regulate serotonin levels. Scientists had also identified three variants of the gene. Two so-called "short" variants were linked to a higher risk of depression and suicide attempts. Unlike the two "short" variants, the "long" variant of 5-HTTLPR showed a clear dislike of negative images, such as fierce animals, and a clear liking for positive ones, such as flowers.
Researchers from the University of Essex in Britain, led by Elaine Fox, showed participants a
series of images. The images were divided into three kinds: negative ones aimed at inspiring fear or stress such as a spider or person about to commit suicide, pleasant ones and neutral ones.
“The participants who had the long variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene showed a clear dislike of negative material alongside a careful attention for positive material,” the researchers found. They paid close attention to the pretty pictures, and ignored the frightening ones. On the other hand, the short variant groups had the opposite reaction.
In January, the Australian government organized "happiness workshops", teaching government
staff how to be happy. The department that held the "happiness workshops" said unhappy staff weren't productive staff. Australian political opposition parties have argued that the "happiness workshops" are probably a waste of money and couldn't increase productivity as intended. However, whether the workshop will have a happy or disappointing result, we will have to wait and see.
67．Form the third paragraph, we know that         .
A．a(chǎn)ffected by 5-HTTLPR, the neurotransmitter serotonin works within the blood
B．there are 5 variants of 5-HTTLPR genes which control people’s moods
C．how the neurotransmitter serotonin works is greatly determined by 5-HTTLPR
D．5-HTTLPR receives chemical messages from verve cells
68．What does “It” in the sentence “It has been closely linked to mood.” in the 3rd paragraph refer to?
A．Serotonin.          B．A nerve cell.        C．5-HTTLPR.         D．The brain.
69．If a person had the long variant of 5-HTTLPR, he or she would probably         .
A．like the images of spiders                     B．prefer the images of crocodiles
C．enjoy an image of green tress                D．suffer from depression very often
70．What can we infer from the passage?
A．People’s moods can change a little bit under the influence of certain drugs.
B．Researchers showed participants of the research two kinds of images.
C．A person possesses one long and one short variant of 5-HTTLPR at the same time.
D．The author firmly believes that “happiness workshops” will not change people’s moods.

　　                                C
Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W. Tabor and his second wife, Elizabeth McCourt, better known as "Baby Doe". Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West. Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homestead in Kansas. Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking, or perhaps he was attracted by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines. At any rate, a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. "A large amount of lead is sure to be found here." he said.  
　　As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store, which sold everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. It was his custom to "grubstake" prospective（預期的） miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or"grub", while they looked for ore（礦石）, in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for a number of years, but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.
　　Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for "grub". Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. These were persistent（堅持的）, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. "Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference," He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the "Pittsburgh Mine," made $1,300, 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.
　　Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117,000.This turned out to be even more abundant than the Pittsburgh, producing $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor, and later became the governor of the state.  
49. The word "grubstake" in paragraph 2 means __________ .
　A. to supply miners with food and supplies
　B. to open a general store
　C. to do one’s contribution to the development of the mine
　D. to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine, if one was discovered
50.Tabor made his first fortune_________.
　A. by supplying two prospective miners and getting in return a one-third interest in the findings
　B. because he was persuaded by the two miners to quit supplying
　C. by buying the shares of the other
　D. as a land speculator（投機商）
51. The underlying（潛在的）reason for Tabor’s successful life career is __________.
　  A. purely accidental
B. based on the analysis of miner’s being very poor and their possibility of discovering
profitable mining site
C. through the help from his second wife
　　D. he planned well and accomplished targets step by step
52. If this passage is the first part of an article, who might be introduced in the following  part?
A. Tabor’s life.     　　                        B. Tabor’s second wife, Elizabeth McCourt.
　　C. Other colorful characters.　　         D. Tabor’s other careers.　　

What did you dream about last night? Did your teeth fall out or did you fly? Maybe you died or someone you know did．Or maybe you were back in high school．These are among the most common dreams people have and they all mean something．Here are some of the most common dreams and their interpretations or symbolism．
Dreams of flying．Dreams of flying represent feelings of freedom that may result from an instance when you overcome a limitation or obstacle．Usually, children have more flying dreams than adults, because children are more open to their possibilities, and adults have often accepted limitations imposed by society．
Teeth falling out．Food in a dream is symbolic of knowledge because food nourishes the physical body and knowledge nourishes the soul．Teeth are a means to break down food or knowledge．When your teeth fall out in a dream, it could signify that you feel ill - equipped to break down the knowledge that you have available, that the way you break things down has changed．That change can be either positive or negative．
High school dreams．High school is a place of learning from the past, and dreaming of being unprepared for a high school test can indicate a struggle to access information you need to handle in your life．
Recurring dreams and nightmares．Recurring dreams are your subconscious （潛意識）mind's way of trying to get your attention．A recurring dream is a step down from a nightmare that is a louder, more insistent way your subconscious mind communicates．If you have a recurring dream, try to stop in the dream and identify what the dream is trying to tell you．That could mean asking someone who is chasing you what he or she wants．A woman dreamed for years that an old, haggard woman was chasing her around her home．When she finally stopped in the dream and asked the old woman what she represented, the old woman suddenly turned into a beautiful young woman and replied, "I represent your question of ' what if?’ "
【小題1】The text is mainly about ____．

Brian Walker chews pens.He bites them so hard that his boss has warned him to stop or buy his own.Katie’s weakness is more acceptable—she is unable to walk past a cake shop without overeating.Sophia Cartier finds her cigarette habit a headache,while Alice’s thumb-sucking drives her boy friend crazy.Four people with very different habits,but they all share a common problem anxiety disorder or,in serious cases.Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD).
From nail-biting to too much hand-washing,overeating and internet addiction(上癮)，OCD is widespread in almost every workplace and countless homes.“It is a relatively common form of anxiety,”says Dr.Mootee.“The main feature of OCD is the repetition of unwanted obsersive(過度的) thoughts such as worries that doors are left unlocked,gas or electrical appliances are left on.”In order to fight against the anxiety and distress caused by these obsessions,an OCD sufferer performs some form of repetitive act such as hand-washing,checking door locks and gas or electrical appliances.
Dr.Mootee says that repetitive washing,particularly of the hands,is the most common type of OCD.She has treated many patients who wash their hands up to 30 times a day.The technique Mootee uses to treat people with OCD is called cognitive-behavioral therapy(認知行為療法).“It is based on the general idea that people have the ability to change the way they think and behave,”says Mootee.
But when does a habit become a problem?“It’s personal,”says Mootee.“Everyone has something unusual,but if you can’t put up with it,then it’s a problem and you need to do something to change it.”Mootee says many people resist going for treatment because they fear they are “crazy”.But as people become more knowledgeable about these problems they will go and get help.The only way to cure is to conquer.
【小題1】If a person suffers from OCD,he is likely to keep doing any of the following EXCEPT______.

I first went to Harrow in the summer term.The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen.It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy,and push him into the pool.I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or less.
One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool.He was no bigger than I was,so I thought him a fair game.Coming secretly behind,I pushed him in,holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet,I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water,and a being of great strength making its way by fierce strokes(猛力地劃) to the shore.I fled,but in vain.He overtook me,seized me violently,and threw me into the deepest part of the pool.I soon climbed out on the other side,and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys.“Do you know what you have done?”they said.“It’s Amery;he is in Grade Six.He is champion at gym;he has got his football honor.”
I was frightened and felt ashamed.How could I tell his position when he was wrapped in a bath towel and so small?I decided to apologize immediately.“I am sorry,”I said,“I mistook you for a Grade Four boy.You are so small.”He didn’t seem pleased at all,so I added in a most brilliant word.“My father,who is a great man,is also small.”At this he laughed,and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future,signified the incident was closed.
【小題1】The writer thought Amery “a fair game” because the boy______.

All her life,my mother wanted busy children.It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy.
You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house,leave a half-written letter on the dining room table,a magazine open on the chair,and turn around to find that my mother had “put it back where it belonged,”as she explained.
My wife,one of her first visits to my mother’s house,placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink.When she returned,she found the packet had been removed.Confused(疑惑的),she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits,only to return to find that her drink had disappeared.Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks,so as not to make water rings on the end tables.Now she knows better.
These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family.We were all inclined to(有……的傾向) forgetfulness,and it was common for one of us,upon returning from the bathroom,to find that every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly.“Do you remember what I was doing?”was a question frequently asked,but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows,and my brother does the cleaning in his house,perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet.I try not to think about it too much,but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We have all become busy persons.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?

I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn’t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A PhD student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date.
We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile –warm and reassuring—and I returned her gift by smiling back.
“Must be a special lady, whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers,” she said.
“Yes, she’s special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out.
“It’s only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she’s ‘the one’. Jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me.”
“Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said.” “My husband used to bring me flowers every week –even when times were tough and we didn’t have much money. Those were incredible days; he was very romantic and – of course – I miss him since he’s passed away.”
I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said, “You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.” I handed her the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.
It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased. “You have a wonderful evening,” I said. I left her with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.
I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her –that was the night that I won her heart.
【小題1】Why was the writer in a hurry that day?